Duct with air-distributing means



June 11, 1963 P. a. LA VIGNE ETAL 3,093,058

oucw WITH AIR-DISTRIBUTING MEANS Filed Dec. 5, 1960 Ln k Nu INVENTORSUnited States Patent 3,093,058 DUCT WITH AIR-DISTRIBUTING MEANS Paul G.La Vigne, La Habra, James A. Roberts, Whittier, and William C. Stahl,Los Angeles, Calif., assignors, by mesne assignments, to SunbeamLighting Co., Inc, Los

Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Dec. 5, 1960, Ser.No. 73,597

Claims. (Cl. 98-40) This invention relates to an air duct structure withairdistributing means, the same being an improvement of the structuredisclosed in application Serial No. 58,799, filed September 27, 1960,entitled Ceiling Duct Structure.

An object of the present invention is to provide, in a ceiling duct forconducting cold or warm air for cooling, heating or ventilating purposesand which embodies a flow diverter in the outlet of said duct, means tocontrol, and thereby vary, the type of air flow emanating from the ductoutlet. The means of the present invention embodies features, incombination, by means of which the exiting air may be directed to flowlaterally or downwardly, or have a flow intermediate lateral anddownward directions. Also, the means of the present invention may becombined to direct most of the flow in a desired direction, therebyenabling efficient air flow control.

This invention also has for its objects to provide such means that arepositive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a workingposition and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture,relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novelcombinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear inthe course of the following description, and which is based on theaccompanying drawing. However, said drawing merely shows, and thefollowing description merely describes, one embodiment of the presentinvention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in theseveral views.

FIG. 1 is a broken cross-sectional view of the lower portion of an airduct and showing the present improvements adjusted to provide a uniformlateral flow of air from the duct in both directions from the ductoutlet.

FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the improvements adjusted to provide alateral flow of air in one direction.

FIG. 3 is a similar view showing the present means adjusted to provide adownward air flow.

FIG. 4 is a broken longitudinal sectional view as taken through thevertical center of the duct, as in the position of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged and fragmentary perspective view showing detailsof the invention.

The duct structure in which the present air-distributing improvementsare incorporated comprises a duct that is formed to have lower end walls11 that define between them a longitudinal opening or throat 12. Anextrusiontype member 13 is disposed so as to receive said duct walls 11and to provide a bottom closure for said duct; said member 13- has atransverse wall 14 in which is provided a series of openings 15 that areopen to the duct throat 12. Said member 13 is provided with alongitudinal channel 16 that is open at the bottom and into which airfrom openings 15 discharges. The above generallydescribed means aredisclosed in full detail in the abovementioned application.

According to the present invention, the air-distributing means comprisesa fixed vane 17 disposed centrally of the channel 16 and preferablyalong the lower open portion thereof, an adjustable vane 18 disposed insaid channel between the wall 14 and the vane 17, and hanger clips orthe like 19 having snap-retention engagement with member 13 andsupporting the vanes 17 and 18 in operat1ve position.

The vane 17 comprises a generally narrow and elongated member that has awidth substantially smaller than the width of channel 16 so that,because of its central position in said channel, longitudinal dischargethroats 20 are formed between the sides of channel 16 and the side edgesof the vane 17. In this instance, the top surface of vane 17 is providedwith longitudinal undercut edges 21.

The vane 18, as can best be seen in FIG, 4, has longitudinally spacedbearing or axle portions 22, the same being defined by cutaway grooves23. The cross-sectional form of vane 18 may vary, as desired. As shown,the same has a thickened center portion that tapers toward the oppositeedges of the vane.

The hanger clips 19 may be advantageously made of spring metal andcomprise three essential portions. A pair of opposed spring arms 24 thathave snap-retention engagement with the wall 14 of member 13 byintrusion through an opening 15 in said wall, constitutes one of saidessential portions, although the particular design or form of said armsmay be varied, or their equivalent used to connect the clip to the wall15. A second essential portion is shown as a wall 25 that depends fromthe arms 24 and is arranged transversely so that a slot 26 in said wallWill allow one of the axle portions of the vane 18 to be pushed into abearing hole 27 at the center of the wall. The third essential portionof said clip comprises a groove 28 With undercut sides formed in thelower edge of wall 25 and in which are received the mentioned undercuts21 in the strip 17.

Regardless of the form taken by the clips 19, the same comprise means tohold the vanes 17 and 18 in operative position so the same may controlthe character and direction of flow of the air discharged from the duct10, according to the adjusted position of the vane 18. The arrows shownin FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 show how the two vanes cooperate to obtainvariations in the flow, downward, laterally, mainly to one side, orcombinations thereof.

The mentioned groove 28 in the clip wall 25 may be replaced by adovetail tongue 29, as in FIG. 5, the vane 17 being provided with acorresponding groove instead of the undercut edges 21.

Two or more axle portions 22 may be provided in each length of vane 18and a corresponding number of clips may be used accordingly.

It will be noted that the appearance of the device is in no Wise changedregardless of variations in the adjusted positions of the vane 18, sincethe vane 17 has a fixed relationship to the member 13.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is nowcontemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, theconstruction is, of course, subject to modification without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is not desiredto restrict the invention to the particular form of constructionillustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fallwithin the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a duct structure, a pair of spaced parallel longitudinal wallsdefining an air-discharging throat, a longi tudinal inverted channeldisposed beyond the ends of said Walls, said channel comprising atransverse wall having openings through which air from the throat entersthe channel, and channel side walls forming lower extensions to thementioned parallel walls, a fixed vane disposed in said channel betweenand spaced from the side walls thereof to divide the channel into twoside throats each defined between one of said side walls of the channeland an edge of the vane, removable support means depending from saidtransverse wall to support said fixed vane, and an angularly adjustablevane disposed in the channel between the fixed vane and the transversewall of the channel, said angularly adjustable vane being rotatablymounted on said support means whereby the flow through the two sidethroats may be varied according to the angular adjustment of theadjustable vane.

2. In a duct structure according to claim 1, removable clip meansinterconnecting said fixed and adjustable vanes with openings in saidtransverse wall of the channel disposed to support said vanes from saidtransverse wall.

3. In a duct structure according to claim 1, means interconnecting saidfixed and adjustable vanes with the transverse wall of the channel tosupport said vanes from said wall, said interconnecting means comprisinga set of longitudinally spaced clips connected to the fixed andadjustable vanes and provided with resilient portions havingsnap-retention engagement with the mentioned edges of the openings insaid transverse wall of the channel.

4. In the air discharging throat of a duct structure, an invertedlongitudinal channel having a transverse wall with air-passing openingstherein and having side Walls depending from the side edges of thetransverse wall; at least two clips each comprising a pair oftransversely spaced spring arms extending upwardly through said openingsin the transverse channel wall and in snap-retention engagementtherewith, each of said clips having a transverse wall depending fromsaid spring arms; a longitudinal stationary vane affixed to the lowerend of the depending walls of the said clips and disposed between and inspaced relation to the side Walls of the channel to form two sideair-passing throats, and a longitudinal adjustable vane rotationallyengaged with said depending walls of the clips and disposed between thetransverse channel wall and the stationary vane to proportionally divertair moving toward said throats from the openings in the transverse wallaccording to the angular adjustment of the adjustable vane.

5. In a duct structure according to claim 4, said transverse dependingwalls of the clips having slots therein that extend from one edge ofsaid wall to the middle thereof, and the rotational vane being providedwith reduced axle portions that are rotationally engaged in said slots.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,662,743 Frenger Dec. 15, 1953 2,902,918 Swarner Sept. 8, 1959 FOREIGNPATENTS 884,688 Germany July 30, 1953

1. IN A DUCT STRUCTURE, A PAIR OF SPACED PARALLEL LONGITUDINAL WALLSDEFINING AN AIR-DISCHARGING THROAT, A LONGITUDINAL INVERTED CHANNELDISPOSED BEYOND THE ENDS OF SAID WALLS, SAID CHANNEL COMPRISING ATRANSVERSE WALL HAVING OPENINGS THROUGH WHICH AIR FROM THE THROAT ENTERSTHE CHANNEL, AND CHANNEL SIDE WALLS FORMING LOWER EXTENSIONS TO THEMENTIONED PARALLEL WALLS, A FIXED VANE DISPOSED IN SAID CHANNEL BETWEENAND SPACED FROM THE SIDE WALLS THEREOF TO DIVIDE THE CHANNEL INTO TWOSIDE THROATS EACH DEFINED BETWEEN ONE OF SAID SIDE WALLS OF THE CHANNELAND AN EDGE OF THE VANE, REMOVABLE SUPPORT MEANS DEPENDING FROM SAIDTRANSVERSE WALL TO SUPPORT SAID FIXED VANE, AND AN ANGULARLY ADJUSTABLEVANE DISPOSED IN THE CHANNEL BETWEEN THE FIXED VANE AND THE TRANSVERSEWALL OF THE CHANNEL, SAID ANGULARLY ADJUSTABLE VANE BEING ROTATABLYMOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS WHEREBY THE FLOW THROUGH THE TWO SIDETHROATS MAY BE VARIED ACCORDING TO THE ANGULAR ADJUSTMENT OF THEADJUSTABLE VANE.